[Shannon Wilson]

Hi Louisa,

Welcome to the course.

I love the idea of using something the children will be familiar with – a saucepan – as the hook to get them interested in the lesson. It’s such an accessible and playful way to introduce the constellation!

The 3D model activity is a great hands-on, visual, and tactile way to help children understand that the stars may appear close together from Earth, but are actually at very different distances in space. Your suggestion to mix the class groups is also great for peer-learning opportunities.

Thanks for sharing, and hope you enjoy the rest of the modules.

[Shannon Wilson]

Hi Elizabeth,

Welcome to the course.

Thanks for sharing such a clear plan for observing the Moon with your class. I really like how you would have the children record the date, time and weather conditions each time they observe. This encourages careful scientific observation and helps pupils understand that conditions can affect what we are able to see in the sky. The suggestion of using binoculars or a small telescope would make the activity even more engaging.

Hope you enjoy the rest of the modules!

[Shannon Wilson]

Hi Jennifer,

Welcome to the course. It’s great to see your suggestion using picture books to spark curiosity and engage younger pupils.

Your discussion around why the moon appears to change shape is also very important, as it will help the students move from observation towards understanding. Explaining that the moon reflects sunlight rather than producing its own light is a key concept that could lead into further experiments on reflection and refraction in the classroom, such as using mirrors.

Thanks for sharing, and hope you enjoy the rest of the modules.

[Shannon Wilson]

Hi Anne,

Welcome to the course, and thank you for sharing.

This is such a beautiful and creative response to the theme, and you have outlined some lovely opportunities to develop STEM links here too. For example, pupils could listen to Nightride and Sunrise while discussing the rotation of the Earth and why we experience night and day, and Polaris could link very naturally to navigation, compass directions and why the North Star appears almost fixed in the sky.

I also love the possibility of creating a simple “sound map” of the night sky, where pitch, rhythm or volume represents star brightness, distance or movement. This would make a wonderful project combining music, movement, visual art, astronomy and scientific observation.

Well done, and I hope you enjoyed the course.

[Shannon Wilson]

Hi Mikey,

Welcome to the course. Your project idea is a tangible and meaningful way to connect science with local heritage, family knowledge and Irish folklore. I really like the idea of pupils collecting piseógs, traditions and stories about the Moon, stars and night sky from relatives. It gives great value to the children’s own family experiences and helps them see that knowledge can come from many different places.

Using the Dúchas Schools’ Collection as a comparison is a fantastic addition, as pupils could explore similarities and differences between their own local stories and traditions recorded in other parts of Ireland. I also like how you would gently open up discussion around tradition and scientific explanation, rather than dismissing either one.

As an extension, pupils could record the phases of the Moon over the same period as their folklore collecting, linking their family stories with real observations of the night sky. The illustrated class book or display would then be a beautiful way to bring everything together and celebrate science, storytelling and Irish culture.

Hope you enjoyed the course, and thanks for your contributions.

[Shannon Wilson]

Hi Lorna,

Welcome! It’s great to read that Liston’s paper resonated with you, thank you for sharing such a strong reflection on STEM teaching in your classroom. It’s a great idea to get the students to observe their local environment and choose objects around them to investigate. You can easily involve some cross-curricular elements here by having them sketch, write stories about, look at the history of, or describe their objects as Gaeilge, etc.

Your boat investigation is a great classroom example because it clearly includes all four areas of STEM in a purposeful way. The use of counters adds a lovely fair-test element too. It sounds like a very engaging lesson where pupils can learn through trial, error and improvement, which is so central to STEM thinking.

I hope you enjoy the rest of the course.

[Shannon Wilson]

Hi Katie,

Welcome to the course and thanks for sharing your reflection on Liston’s paper. It is very honest and useful to recognise that STEM is often taught as separate subjects, as this is something many teachers will relate to.

I like that you have identified real-world contexts and collaborative problem-solving as possible ways forward. It might be interesting to think about what this could look like in the specific context of your own classroom. For example, are there topics, interests, local features or everyday problems that your pupils already engage with that could become a starting point for integrated STEM learning?

Even small changes, such as adding a measuring, designing, predicting or digital recording element to an existing science lesson, can help pupils begin to make stronger connections between Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. I look forward to hearing how you develop this in practice.

[Shannon Wilson]

Hi Michaela,

Welcome to the course. I really like the idea of pupils comparing aerial maps from Google Maps or Geohive with what they observe during a local walk, as this would help them connect digital information with their own lived experience of the school environment.

Exploring land use, green spaces, roads, rivers and buildings would create great opportunities for inquiry questions such as: Where are the greenest areas around our school? How much space is used by buildings or roads? Where might we find the most biodiversity? How does the weather affect what we notice outdoors?

The link with Met Éireann data is also very strong, especially for integrating Mathematics through recording temperatures, rainfall and creating graphs. Pupils could also create their own layered maps afterwards, allowing for a strong engineering design element, showing habitats, built features, weather observations and possible areas for biodiversity improvement.

I hope that you enjoy the rest of the modules.

[Shannon Wilson]

Hi Carrie,

That sounds like a fantastic start to using the National Biodiversity Data Centre! I agree that giving the children the title of “citizen scientists” is an instant hook, from my own experience it is so exciting for them to feel that they are an important part of real world science – it gives real purpose and importance to their observations. Wildlife and plant bingo sounds like a very engaging way to begin, as it gamifies the experience.

Setting aside some ICT time to upload class records is a great way to involve technology and keep the project manageable and consistent. You could also encourage pupils to keep a simple nature journal or seasonal class chart to notice changes over time.

I hope you enjoy the rest of the course.

[Shannon Wilson]

Hi Lisa,

That sounds like a lovely and meaningful way to use Birr Castle as an outdoor classroom. The link between art, science and history is very strong here. Pupils could explore biodiversity through leaves, flowers, trees and habitats, while also looking at the castle architecture and landscape design as part of their local heritage. Your differentiation for younger and older pupils works really well too, and I would encourage all ages to take rubbings as a way of exploring and documenting the material elements of the world around them.

You could also consider adding a short reflection or display element where pupils share what they noticed and explain the natural or heritage feature that inspired their artwork.

Hope you enjoyed the course.

[Shannon Wilson]

Hi Elaine,

Thanks for sharing your idea for a teacher resource using the Globe at Night citizen science programme. The inclusion of weather, nearby lighting and whether the sky appears rural or urban is also very useful, as it encourages pupils to think about the factors that affect what they can observe.

Presenting their findings through a map, poster or digital slide would help them strengthen their technology and communication skills. You could even take it a step further and include an engineering design element by getting them to design solutions that could be suggested to the wider school.

Hope you enjoy the course.

[Shannon Wilson]

Hi Steven,

I really like your idea of beginning with a walk around the school grounds to identify where lighting is needed and where it may not be necessary. This would give the children a practical way to observe their own environment and think critically about how light can affect species such as bats, hedgehogs, moths and owls.

It is also great that you would involve the children in suggesting solutions.  This sounds like a lovely student-led approach that would help students see how small actions can make a real difference for local nature. Things like creating a dark-corridor map of the school grounds could be very effective.

Thanks for sharing and hope you enjoy the course.

[Shannon Wilson]

Hi Aidan,

Thank you for sharing such a thoughtful response to Module 1.

I really like your reflection on Liston’s paper, and how it relates to the new school curriculum. Your examples of links with History, Art, Music and the design-and-make strand show how integrated STEM can happen in very meaningful ways.

You also make a strong point about the Weather vs Climate resource being accessible for younger classes, while older pupils may need opportunities to explore the topic in greater depth. Your suggestion of creating a weather station on the school campus and adapting the data to create weather reports via greenscreen (like you did with your Gaeilge project) is excellent. It would allow pupils to engage in real inquiry-based learning.

I hope you enjoy the rest of the course.

[Shannon Wilson]

Hi Sinead,

Welcome to the course.

I really like your point about beginning with weather before moving on to climate. This gives pupils a concrete starting point and helps them build understanding gradually. You also make a very good point about funding. Using low-cost or recycled materials for homemade instruments could be a practical way to support STEM learning while keeping costs manageable.

Your idea of 5th class pupils teaching younger classes how to make and use the instruments is lovely, as it would build confidence, communication and peer learning.

It would also be great to hear your thoughts on Liston’s paper, particularly how the activities connect with inquiry, collaboration and integrated STEM learning.

[Shannon Wilson]

Hi Amanda,

I really like how you have considered the needs of your 9-year-olds with dyslexia. The Paxi video sounds like a great resource for your class and an accessible way to introduce greenhouse gases, build vocabulary and spark discussion before moving into practical ideas for reducing emissions in school and everyday life.

Your links to the Green Schools Committee, Book Creator, audio posters and the school garden are excellent. These would give pupils creative ways to show their understanding while connecting the learning to real action in the school.

You also make a very good point about TEAL being challenging for some pupils. I really like how you have considered adapting it for use as a cross-age learning opportunity with senior classes, encouraging teamwork, communication and peer support while making the data more accessible.

Thanks for sharing and hope you enjoy the rest of the course!

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